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Updated: Jun 23, 2025

Calcification of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells and Imaging of Aortic Calcification and Inflammation
Published on: May 31, 2016
Osteopontin/SPP1: a potential mediator between immune cells and vascular calcification
Yanli Zhao1, Zujuan Huang1, Limei Gao1
1Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Shenzhen Longhua District Central Hospital, Shenzhen, China.
None:
Vascular calcification (VC) is considered a common pathological process in various vascular diseases. Accumulating studies have confirmed that VC is involved in the inflammatory response in heart disease, and SPP1+ macrophages play an important role in this process. In VC, studies have focused on the physiological and pathological functions of macrophages, such as pro-inflammatory or anti-inflammatory cytokines and pro-fibrotic vesicles. Additionally, macrophages and activated lymphocytes highly express SPP1 in atherosclerotic plaques, which promote the formation of fatty streaks and plaque development, and SPP1 is also involved in the calcification process of atherosclerotic plaques that results in heart failure, but the crosstalk between SPP1-mediated immune cells and VC has not been adequately addressed. In this review, we summarize the regulatory effect of SPP1 on VC in T cells, macrophages, and dendritic cells in different organs' VC, which could be a potential therapeutic target for VC.
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